Here We Are
by Madzandflowerz31
Summary: Crossover between "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns." Set after both stories. Recommend to have read both books to understand this story. Completed one-shot. Amir and Soraya are wanting to adopt a child from the orphanage back in Kabul. They experience the "new" Afghanistan and Soraya learns more about the woman sharing her contribution through the orphanage...


"Are you nervous?" Soraya asked with concern.

"About what exactly?" Amir replied.

"Adopting another child?"

"Of course I am nervous about that, but I am more nervous about going back." He takes a deep breath before continuing. "I remember the things I saw the last time I was here. I guess I just need to see with my own eyes if the stories are true," Amir whispers, staring down at their interlocked hands.

It has been two years since Sohrab was brought home to California. As he grows, Amir and Soraya feel the need to give him a sibling. Not just someone to call a brother or a sister, but a friend. Soraya wants their family to grow and Amir wants Sohrab to have someone just like how he had Hassan. It was Soraya's idea to adopt a child from the orphanage back in Kabul. Amir is hesitant just because of the whole ordeal he went through to get Sohrab. However, he knows this is the right thing to do. He knows Baba would've done the same thing.

Amir has seen the news, has heard the stories pouring in from Afghanistan on the evening news, all of the changes happening. He is intrigued, but feels skeptical because it is almost too good to believe until he sees for himself. So now, Amir and Soraya find themselves sitting on a bus heading to the orphanage to pick up their new five-year-old daughter, Esme.

"I bet she is more beautiful than the pictures suggest," Soraya says, changing the subject.

"In a way, she looks like you," he responds, meeting her light, brown eyes. Soraya beams and blushes from the compliment.

"I can't wait to show her San Francisco, to see what she likes, dislikes, to help her achieve her goals and dreams…"

"No matter what, she will be happy. This I hope," Amir says.

"This I know," Soraya says, earning him a wink. She adds, "Maybe she will be a writer like you."

"Or she will become a teacher like you."

Amir adds, "Either way, perhaps she will be the "normal" one."

"What does that mean?" Soraya asks startled.

Before Amir can respond, they turn their attention to the sight of the orphanage becoming more and more clear as they come closer. The bus driver advises everyone to collect their belongings.

Soraya reaches under the seat for her bag and begins to stand up. She turns back to Amir, offering her hand and asks, "Ready to meet our daughter?"

His soft smile slowly emerges and replies, "Yes… I am." He accepts her invitation and grasps her hand. She notices his grip is a little more tight than usual. She couldn't blame him.

Before they exited the bus, the driver advises them that he will return in an hour with another group and will be picking them up to take them back to the airport. They both thanked him and emerged into the new Afghanistan.

One step off the bus and Soraya is already yelling, "Look Amir! Grass! Grass everywhere! As far as the eye can see!" She is gleaming with complete interest and joy.

Amir couldn't stop blinking; comprehending that he truly was seeing a blanket of grass beneath his feet. Was this real? Was he imagining things?

"Oh my! These trees are gigantic! Look at all of these flowers!"

Amir looks around to see a trail of yellow and orange tulips surrounding the trail that leads to the orphanage. He has never seen anything like this before, at least not before he left when he was younger. He is almost mesmerized as he follows his wife and others to the front of the orphanage.

"Wow."

"What is it, Amir?"

"It has changed… so much. It is almost unrecognizable." What was once an old, worn unclean and unstable building is now colorful, bright, and inviting. It is nothing compared to what Amir remembers. They are led to the front desk where he sees Zaman directing children to their designated rooms and classrooms.

Amir asks, "Zaman?"

Zaman turns around and his eyes become as big as saucers. "Amir! Long time no see! What are you doing back here?" The questions continuously spill out of his mouth.

Amir responds, "We are here to adopt a little girl you all have had for a while. Her name is Esme."

"Ahhh I see! Yes, we have told her a family was coming to get her, but I had no idea it was you! She is going to be ecstatic."

Soraya intervenes, "We were told to come talk to Laila."

"Yes, of course! Please follow me."

Zaman leads them down the hallway, bags hanging on metal hooks overflowing majority of the walkway space. He asks, "How is Sohrab doing?"

Amir says, "He is getting better everyday. The nightmares aren't as frequent and he is surrounded with love."

"Well, I am very glad to hear that." Suddenly, a pregnant woman with blonde hair and deep, green eyes emerges from around the corner. "Oh, hello!"

"Hello, Laila."This is Amir and Soraya. They said they have been talking to you about adopting Esme."

"Yes, of course! Wow, it is so awesome to finally meet you guys!" Laila is bursting with excitement. Amir says with a smile, "Same to you. We are excited about finally being able to bring her home."

Soraya asks, "Where is she now?"

Laila responds, "Well, she is in my class and we had like a small celebration for her getting adopted. They are outside playing right now. Perhaps we can give you a tour? Give her time to enjoy her last day with her classmates?"

"Oh, of course. We have an hour to spare before the bus returns," Soraya answers.

Laila turns around and Soraya notices someone has caught Laila's eye.

Laila yells, "Tariq! Come meet Esme's new parents!"

A man with dark hair and a wooden leg turns around from the outside door and walks towards them. He is attractive and his smile is almost contagious. Amir and Soraya immediately assume it is Laila's husband, considering how she is giving him the same smile in return. He wraps an arm around her shoulders and turns to look at the eager couple.

"Tariq, this is Amir and Soraya. They are taking Esme home today."

He responds, "Oh hello! Wow, that is great! She deserves a loving family and based on your papers and comments, we think she will do just fine." Amir and Soraya both beam with gratitude.

Tariq asks, " Would you like a tour of the facility? See all of the improvements we have made?" Amir responds with "Sure, it already looks completely different from the last time I was here."

Laila answers with a sweet smile, "Excellent." She turns back to Soraya and asks, "While they do that, would you like to come with me and get Esme's things?"

"Of course!"

While Tariq leads Amir out towards the playground, Laila leads Soraya to the end of the hallway, turning into her classroom. The first thing she notices is all of the tulips along the windowsill. They sit inside colorful, handmade pots. The kid's names scripted onto each one, establishing whose is who.

"Wow. This is so awesome. Your kids must love you!"

Laila immediately blushes and responds, "Thank you, Soraya. You are too kind. It is so rewarding to be around these kids and to give them new families to be loved by. Also, until they get adopted, it is a pleasure to teach them all that I know."

Soraya meets Laila by the window in the corner of the room overlooking the entire playground, children playing basketball, drawing with chalk on the sidewalks, running and playing without a care in the world. It is beautiful to watch.

"You and Tariq have done wonders here… you should be so proud of yourselves."

Laila ignores the uncomfortable tightness in her chest before saying, "Well… everything isn't as easy as it seems. Everything comes with a price."

Soraya looks at her, concern taking over her reaction, "What do you mean?"

Laila doesn't realize she opened a door she had no intention of opening before saying, "I'm sorry to elaborate, you don't need to feel sorry for me. I just meant the road to get here wasn't the easiest," smiling to ease the uncomfortable silence that lingers.

Soraya breaks the silence, "I wouldn't mind hearing about it. Things haven't always been perfect for me either. I can probably relate to you in some way or another."

Laila looks at her and answers with a soft smile, "I sincerely hope that last part isn't true."

"Well, lets see then," Soraya says.

Laila looks back out the window and begins her story that has never had an audience before this moment.

"Me and Tariq have known each other since we were kids. He has always been one of my best friends, but it wasn't until we were teenagers that I realized he was more than a friend," chuckling as she looks down at her hands.

"Wow. Sounds so romantic." Soraya says with a cheer in her voice.

"Not exactly. When the rockets started to come down, Tariq begged me to marry him and to leave with him and his family to go to Pakistan… and I refused." The curiosity on Soraya's face propels her to continue.

"I couldn't bear to leave my father. It would have killed him. The irony is that not too long after that, a rocket struck my house and killed both of my parents."

"Oh no…" Soraya's smile immediately turns into a frown.

"I was outside when it hit the house. The initial blast knocked me unconscious. I woke up to a woman taking care of me. Her name was Mariam. She was married to a man my father knew very well. His name was Rasheed. He was the one who found me and pulled me from the rubble. Marian said it was a miracle that I survived."

Soraya just stands, processing all of this information.

"A few days after I woke up, a man came to their house since that is where I was staying. He informed me that Tariq had died at the same hospital he was admitted at. He knew about me because Tariq told him about me." Laila inhales through her nose, trying to keep her composure. "The next day, Rasheed asked me to marry him. So, I said yes."

"Wait, what? Why?"

"Because I found out that I was pregnant with Tariq's baby, a little girl, and I couldn't let Rasheed find out or he would've left us both on the street. I didn't have any other choice. It wasn't just about me anymore."

Soraya nodded, understanding her decision. "Did Rasheed know you were pregnant?"

"No… but once she was born and as time passed, I think he began to learn the truth. He never cared for her like I did."

"What is her name?"

Laila smiles as she answers, "Aziza."

"What a beautiful name. What about Mariam?"

"She didn't like me at first. Part of the reason was because she struggled to carry children and here came me, perfectly healthy with a child, the one thing I could give Rasheed that she couldn't. We yelled at each other a lot, but once Aziza was born, things slowly became easier between us. She adored Aziza and we started to become closer. We had each other's backs. We became so close that I had convinced her to run away with me and Aziza."

A completely stunned Soraya asks, "What? Why were you running away?"

"Because I married a monster. He was violent and mean. He never gave us any opportunity to say our opinions about anything. We were hardly ever allowed to go outside without him, even in our burqas. He was only tolerable when he got what he wanted from us in bed. I didn't want my daughter to stay around that. I couldn't risk him hurting her… so we ran away."

"Did you succeed?"

Laila chuckles saying, "Um we didn't get that lucky. We got caught. When he found out, he almost killed all three of us."

"Laila, I couldn't imagine…"

"After that, I found out that I was pregnant with my son, Zalmai. I was forced to have a C-section without anesthesia. It felt like my whole body was being sliced in half, which it was." Soraya doesn't know what to say. How could someone go through something so traumatic like that and still be alive?

"As time went on and my boy grew, he acted just like his father whenever he was around him. The more my son admired his father, the more my sweet Zalmai was disappearing. As it got worse, Rasheed's shop burned down and we severely struggled to get food. That was when I was forced to bring Aziza here… for the guarantee that she would be fed and kept safe."

"So, that's how you found this place." Soraya answers for her.

"Yes. I came to visit her almost everyday. No matter the cost of punishment." Laila looks down and rubs her hand over the faint scar on her upper arm. Soraya pretends to not notice.

"Then one day the doorbell rang. I opened the door to discover Tariq on the other side."

Soraya's eyes grow before exclaiming, "What? He was alive?"

"Yes. It turns out the man who told me he died was paid by Rasheed." Laila notices Soraya's hand turn into a fist at her side. Soraya asks, "Why would he do such a thing?"

Laila turned to look Soraya dead in the eyes before stating, "He wanted me to think I had no other option. That all hope of Tariq being alive was gone. He wanted me to be so broken that I felt like I needed him. Little did he know he was wrong." The eye contact lingered before Laila continued.

"That night, Zalmai told Rasheed about me and Tariq. He didn't realize what he was doing, too young to understand what he had just revealed. Rasheed sent him upstairs and then he began to beat me. He ended up on top of me and started to strangle me." Soraya gasps in horror.

"I had never been closer to death than in that moment… if Mariam wouldn't have been there, I would've been dead."

"Why do you say that?" Soraya asks.

Laila answers, "She was the one who saved me. She managed to grab a shovel and she hit him. Well, the hit killed him. She practically split his skull in half."

Stunned, Soraya places a hand on Laila's arm. Laila looks back at her and places a hand over hers.

"That next morning, Mariam made me take Zalmai, go find Tariq, go get Aziza, and get out of town. She confessed to everything. It was the last gift she could give to me, a gift I didn't deserve, especially from her. Her sacrifice allowed Tariq and I to become a family. We became a part of the wonderful changes happening here in Afghanistan. This is how I am keeping her memory alive."

Soraya finishes with, "And here you are."

"Yes. It is weird how these things happen."

Laila inhales sharply, turning to grab both of Soraya's hands in her own and says, "Enough about me. What's your story? I hope it isn't as heartbreaking as mine."

Soraya says, "Oh! Umm are you sure you want to hear it? I know you must be very busy."

Laila's eyebrows scrunch together in confusion before saying, "No, not at all. Today the kids get extra time outside. It is fun Friday after all."

Soraya shyly smiles and says, "Ah I see!" With that being said, she began her story.

"Well, as a child, I never really was "daddy's perfect little girl"."

"How so?" Laila asks with sincere curiosity.

"When me and my family moved to Virginia, I ran away with my boyfriend. I was absolutely, completely in love with him."

"Sounds like a love story in a way." Laila says with a small smirk tugging on the corner of her mouth.

"Well, the story ended with my father finding us and dragging me back home. He forced me to cut my hair off. He made me do it as he stood there and watched me humiliate myself." Soraya hears Laila's gasp.

She says, "Oh my, Soraya. I am so sorry." Soraya looks at her and just shrugs her shoulders.

"Ever since then, our relationship hasn't always been the strongest thing in the world. He never supported my choices or desires for my life. Then one day, I met Amir at a flea market." She chuckles, "Not your typical romantic setting." They both laugh and Soraya resumes." I was drawn to him immediately. You could tell he was eager to talk to me yet he failed at hiding how shy he was."

"Awe. That's so cute." Laila says, smiling sweetly.

"Of course, my father made sure he understood where his place was, but we hit it off immediately. I fell in love him. Not long after, we got married. We rushed it though because Amir's father was extremely ill at the time. We decided to live with him so that we could help care for him. He passed away shortly after."

"I am sorry to hear that," Laila says. "He sounded very lucky to have you two to help him in his final days."

"Yes. After that, Amir and me wanted to start our family. However, for some reason I still do not understand, I can't get pregnant." Laila says, "I am so sorry," with sadness.

"We talked about adoption, but of course my father was against it. He didn't believe it for his family because the only people that mattered were those with the same biological DNA. Things were tense between Amir and I for a while after that argument. But then one day, Amir got a call from a friend in Afghanistan asking him to come back."

"Why?"

"Long story short, he had to go get his nephew and bring him back with him. He had no idea he had a nephew. It turns out his childhood best friend was actually his brother. His father and his friend's mother had an affair. It was a secret they took to the grave. Amir went through a terrible ordeal and a significant beating that almost killed him. Somehow he survived and was able to bring Sohrab home and now we are raising him as our own."

"What did your father say? How did he react to this news?"

"Amir told him we were adopting him either way and to accept it. That was the first time I had ever seen him stand up for himself."

"Now you have your family."

"Yes. Looking to expand it." Laila expresses a warm smile and says, "You are an incredible woman and I admire your selflessness to take another child and love her as your own."

"Laila, you have overcome more than anyone should ever bear. You truly are strong. What you're doing for these kids and this orphanage… it is beyond inspiring."

"Soraya, I believe everything I have been through was meant to lead me here, to my family with Tariq, to you."

With tears in her eyes, Soraya pulls Laila into a strong, warm hug saying, "Thank you for telling me your story, and thank you for helping us get Esme."

"You are so welcome." The light in Soraya's smile meets her eyes.

"Oh! I almost forgot. Esme's things!" They both laugh and Laila looks under her desk and lifts up a single, medium blue backpack. "Everything she had when we found her is in here." She adds, "She loves to be read to at night. She is shy, but gets along great with everybody. I think Sohrab will be excited. You all will adore her."

"Oh, I know we will," Soraya says. All of a sudden, Tariq and Amir walk into the classroom, both smiling. Amir looks a little more relaxed. The initial awkwardness has disappeared and a stranger would say they look like good, old friends catching up.

"Hey guys," Tariq addresses. "Sorry we took so long. Find her stuff?"

Laila says, "Yes. Yes we did. Tariq, I know Esme is going to be loved so much. I have no worries at all."

"Me either." He looks at Amir, slapping a hand on his shoulder saying, "Amir is a pretty cool guy."

Soraya says, "So, what all is left to do?"

"I don't think anything. Your lawyer signed his part and you both signed the final papers before you came over, so all you need is Esme."

As if on cue, Zaman appears in the doorway with a small, brunette little girl holding his hand at his side. "Sorry to interrupt, but this one is wanting to know if these are her new parents?" Laila asks, "How did she know?"

Zaman replies, "She saw Amir watching her outside and she saw him with Soraya up in the front. She put two and two together."

Amir looks back at Soraya, smiling and tears running down her face. Zaman leads Esme into the room, slowly emerging from behind his legs. The first thing Soraya notices is how blue her eyes are. As if she's looking out into the ocean. Amir and Soraya kneel until they are at equal height with her.

Amir introduce themselves saying, "Hello Esme. My name is Amir and this is my wife Soraya. We are – "

"My new parents," Esme finishes the sentence for him.

"Is that okay? Would you like to come home with us?" Soraya asks, hope in her voice.

A smile appears on Esme's face as she aswers, "Yes, please." She lunges at them both and crushes them in a hug full of excitement and love. They both embrace her and cherish the moment. Laila stands next to Tariq, tears flowing as she lays her hand on top of his chest.

"Your brother is back home, so anxiously eager to meet you."

"He is?" Esme asks with excitement. Amir answers, "Yes. Very much."

The bell ring that fills the building alerts them that the bus has returned to take them back to the airport. "It looks like it is time to go, little one," Laila says as she approaches Esme, placing a hand on her head to brush back her hair. Esme wraps her arms around Laila's legs and whispers, "I will miss you , but thank you for everything. I will never forget you."

"Me either, beautiful." She smiles big. Laila hands Esme's bag to Soraya and says, "If you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to reach out. All I ask is that you let me know occasionally how she is doing?"

"Oh, absolutely."

"So long my friend. May you all be blessed with this new addition to your family." Soraya walks up and hugs Laila, placing a hand on top of her stomach, "You as well."

"Thank you both for everything. So long." Amir says, holding Esme's hand. Soraya takes her other hand as they walk out of the building to the bus. "Amir?"

"Yes, Esme?"

"Will you show me what all is in California?" Amir looks at Soraya and smiles.

"For you, a thousand times over."

 **Notes:**

This is the story that I wrote for my final in my "Non-Western Literature" class. We had to use at least one character from each book, so that is how this turned into a crossover. I know some details and info are missing, but it still works and it was fun to write. My professor surprisingly liked it, so I figured why not share it?

I really enjoyed both books. Even though some sections were very hard to get through, if you have read them, you know what I am referring to, but the overall stories intrigued my attention and curiosity. I enjoyed the thought of Amir and Soraya expanding their family, meanwhile meeting Laila and Tariq, seeing all of the changes in Afghanistan. I have learned about the reality of this country from these books than I ever have in a classroom.

I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS, THE KITE RUNNER, OR A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS.

Thank you for reading!


End file.
